Centessa’s ORX750 Demonstrates Promising ‘Best-in-Class’ Profile in Early Narcolepsy Trial

ORX750's Potential:
Centessa Pharmaceuticals' ORX750, an investigational orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist, has shown a promising 'best-in-class' profile in early clinical trials for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep-wake disorders.

Phase 1 Trial Results:
The Phase 1 trial in acutely sleep-deprived healthy volunteers demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in mean sleep latency, with the 2.5 mg dose restoring normative wakefulness as measured by the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT).

Safety and Tolerability:
The drug exhibited a favorable safety and tolerability profile, with no reports of frequently reported on-target adverse events (AEs) associated with other OX2R agonists, visual disturbances, or hepatotoxicity as of the data cutoff date.

Future Development:
Centessa plans to expedite ORX750 into Phase 2 trials targeting narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2), and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), which are set to commence in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Market Impact:
The positive interim results led to an increase in Centessa's stock price, with analysts describing the findings as "extremely compelling" and suggesting that ORX750 could potentially be administered as a once-daily treatment, comparing favorably with competitors.